


Practice Stage

by jboh



Series: The KaoRinko Cinematic Universe [1]
Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Gen, i finally managed to embed my art in the text omg -_-, warning for dialogue so cheesy u want to smack kaoru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-12 17:30:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18015254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jboh/pseuds/jboh
Summary: Loathe as she is to admit it, Kaoru needs help preparing for an upcoming performance. Somehow, Rinko gets involved again. And also zombies.





	Practice Stage

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, this whole fic spawned from something that an impressed Kaoru says after seeing the costumes that Rinko makes her for a play during the Backstage Method event, which I personally have dubbed as The KaoRinko Event. As such, this is actually set some time afterwards, but you don't actually need to know anything else that happened in order to enjoy this (hopefully).
> 
> This also comes with a particular caveat: Rinko is skilled at more than just MMOs.
> 
> Shoutout to all the pear (shidi and floops) for listening to me rant about this ship 24/7 and also for beta'ing. You guys are the best!

It was interesting enough that Yukina agreed to incorporate ballads into their usual setlist. In fact, it made Rinko happy that their leader had finally started listening to the rest of the band's feedback regarding those things.

Of course, that meant extra time at the studio for Rinko. Even though she knew she shouldn’t be worried, Rinko felt like she almost forgot how to play at a slower tempo, given their usual fare.

As Rinko gently lifted her fingers off of the keyboard, breaths even with the metronome, she allowed herself to smile. It was hard for her to adjust to new things, even if they were as small as a simple setlist change, but as long as she prepared a little at a time, Rinko felt like she'd be fine.

There was a knock on the door.

Eh? Had she already gone over her reserved time? Rinko knew that she had somehow developed that rather unfortunate habit, but… for Marina to have to physically come and remind her now... _ugh_. Rinko could feel an unpleasant weight settling at the bottom of her stomach. There was only one way in and out of the room… She supposed it was better to get it over with. "C-come in..."

Months passed. The metronome's ticking was beginning to spell out Rinko's doom.

Just as Rinko realized that Marina probably couldn't hear her, the door opened to reveal somebody who was tall, handsome, and most importantly,  _not_ an irritated CiRCLE staff member. Rinko's stomachache started to subside before coming back in full force, although this time it felt more like butterflies instead of rocks. "Seta... san?"

"Indeed, it is I!" Kaoru gestured oddly with her hand. "Would it be too much for me to request a few words with you inside your humble abode?"

"This... isn't my... house..." Rinko's brow furrowed. "But um,” she fidgeted with her metronome as she turned it off, “I think that I stayed longer... than I was supposed to, so..."

"Ahh, I see," Kaoru nodded. "A famous poet once said that the butterfly counts not months, but moments, and has time enough... how fleeting. In that case, would you care to grace both the CiRCLE cafe and I with your presence?"

Rinko wasn't quite sure what that meant, but if it meant less of a chance of getting reprimanded by the staff, she was all for it.

 

* * *

 

A few unexpectedly exciting moments later ( _"Oh, but I insist! What kind of a prince would I be if I did not provide for my lovely princess? Now what was it you desired... ah... hot milk... you truly are my adorable little kitten!"_ ), they carried their drinks over to sit down at a table for two.

"I must admit, I did come here to ask a favor of you," Kaoru began, crossing her legs, "although this time, it is not regarding matters of the cloth... But truly, the previous garments you wove for me were _so_ beautifully fleeting." She sighed and brought her hands to her heart. Rinko grew pink as she looked at Kaoru in bewildered amusement.

"If... if it isn't about outfits, then w-what exactly... do you need?" Rinko blinked and glanced down at her cup. "I'm... you see, if it's about... sewing, or the piano, that would be... fine. But... I'm not su—"

"Oh, dearest kitten," Kaoru interrupted, "you and I are both aware that you have _far_ more talents than those! In fact, it is about... _gaming_ ." She leaned forward, emphasizing that last word as if it was from a foreign language. Kaoru took Rinko's blink of shock as an okay to continue her monologue. "For the upcoming play we have decided to perform is, in fact, an adaptation of what I believe is called ' _The H*use of the De*d_ '! I hope that you are familiar with it?"

"' _H*use of the'_... oh!" Rinko tilted her head. "That... Isn't that a little...  _odd_ for a stage play? The script..."

"The script is of no consequence. In fact, it is more of a psychological thriller; our protagonist dealing not only with the horrors of the undead, but the horrors of her own mind!"

"Um..."

"It is quite fleeting. However, I am afraid that... well, as it is now, I am... to continue... _envisioning_ the main character and her harrowing predicament to its truest extent." Rinko was surprised to see the other girl frown. So... that was an expression that Kaoru could have, too. "Make no mistake! A prince never backs down from a challenge, but even so..."

Rinko was still a little lost. "So, you would like... advice...? From me?"

"Aha!" Kaoru unfolded her arms and gestured grandly at Rinko, who jumped a little in her seat. "Certainly, advice would be welcomed... but, shall I say, a devilish little kitten confided to me in your proficiency regarding the source material. I require a skilled partner such as yourself in order to properly re-imagine the hero's universe!"

She gently lifted Rinko's hand with one of her own. Um.

" _Tell_ me, and I forget." Kaoru's gaze was way too intense. Her fingers were surprisingly soft for a guitarist’s…

" _Teach_ me, and I remember." Kaoru placed her other hand on top of Rinko's, sandwiching it. Oh no, Rinko could feel her own palm starting to sweat.

" _Involve_ me... and I learn." Keeping eye contact was so difficult... Why were people so scary? "Rinko... would you allow me to accompany you to the mall's arcade, where we may immerse ourselves within the world of the undead?"

"E-eh... I'm...?" Wait, so that was what Kaoru wanted? "Seta-san, you wanted to play... together?"

"But of course! For the game was made for a couple, and we together make quite the pair, do we not?" Kaoru smiled. "I want none other than you as my partner when the time comes to dance further into the depths of hell..."

Rinko’s lips twitched. She was reminded heavily of Ako. "I see…”

It was true that Rinko could play shooter games well, but... "An arcade... It's quite..." Loud. And full of people. Actually, comparing it to hell wasn’t too far off. Rinko stopped smiling.

"Indeed! An arcade... fleeting, is it not?" Kaoru shrugged and laughed, but Rinko got the impression that it was actually rather blustery. "Ako-chan had boasted to me of your expertise, but I realize that that this may be an odd request. Please, my kitten, I hope you do not feel any pressure to accept."

Rinko could recognize when people gave her an out of a social situation any day, but had Ako really told Kaoru all that? She knew that if she turned down Kaoru, Ako would be so disappointed after going through the trouble of recommending her... oh, and Kaoru would probably be disappointed as well, right? This was like... the _opposite_ of feeling unpressured.

But... would it _really_ be all that bad? Kaoru wasn't as scary as Rinko had once thought; in fact, she was quite nice... and Rinko even had fun going to the beach that one time, even though there were all those people... and it _had_ been while since she was at the arcade... the arcade that occasionally did events promoting _Neo Fantasy Online_...

"I!" Rinko surprised both Kaoru and herself with how loud she said that. "I... i-it is a little sudden but... it doesn't sound like a _bad_ thing... I... would l-like to go with you!"

Kaoru beamed at her. Ah. So that's why even the students at Rinko’s school liked her so much. "Excellent! I must say, I am quite heartened by your sudden enthusiasm. Could it be that you, too, appreciate the fleetingness of my plight?"

"P-possibly..." Rinko couldn't help but smile back a little. "If I'm... able to support everyone, including Seta-san, then... it makes me happy."

"Ah... such a sentiment..." Kaoru sighed with feeling. "Truly... it is fleeting. I knew we would get along splendidly!" Hmmm, so Kaoru _was_ actually pretty worried about this. Did she normally not perform in these kinds of plays? Rinko smiled again as Kaoru cleared her throat. "Oh, but I fear I have gone on for too long... for our drinks have gone cold!"

"I-it's alright," Rinko assured Kaoru, but Kaoru shook her head.

"I cannot have my quiet little kitten sipping milk that has been chilled by cruel forgetfulness! No, I shall fetch you another." Kaoru winked at Rinko and squeezed her hand before getting up and sauntering towards CiRCLE's cafe booth.

Frankly, Rinko thought that the heat in her cheeks was enough to heat her drink back up.

 

* * *

 

Ah. After all that, Rinko completely forgot to ask Kaoru for her BINE. Well, something like that was a little too... _forward_ for Rinko, wasn’t it? But how else was she supposed to know when they were supposed to meet up?

Luckily, she knew Lisa. Lisa probably had contact information for every single high schooler in their city.

But before she could send her bandmate a message, a friend notification popped up. What? Who could’ve… Her heart jumped into her throat until she actually looked at the profile pic. Even though it was small, it was incredibly gaudy with an obnoxiously saturated filter and sparkly stickers. She didn’t even need to click on it to confirm who it was. Rinko sighed in relief as she accepted the request. It would’ve been much too awkward had she been the one to act first. She could always be proactive another time.

 **Kaoru:** Good evening, kitten. I hope that this message finds you well?

Woah… so Kaoru typed like how she talked, too. It was actually a little funny?

 **Kaoru:** I was so engrossed in our rendezvous that I forgot to ask you for your contact. Memory, by nature, is fleeting indeed! But by the guidance of Lady Luck herself, I have come to acquire your BINE, if that isn’t too forward of me.

 **RinRin:** No, that actually makes me feel better (￣▽￣*)ゞ I was actually just about to ask Imai-san myself, but it seems like you beat me to it.

 **Kaoru:** I see! Well, fortune does favor the bold, as well as the beautiful. May I inquire as to your schedule for the remainder of this week?

 **RinRin:** Of course. I hope that we’ll be able to make something work (๑ﻭ˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ Let me know if it’s too hard to read. I know that BINE sometimes ruins the photo quality.

 **RinRin** _sent a photo_.

 **Kaoru:** Oh my, Rinko! A living as packed as mine own; surely there is nothing more impressive than a productive princess such as yourself. 🌹

There was a lull in the conversation. Kaoru was probably consulting her own schedule. Rinko opened up a new tab to look up drop rates for the final boss in NFO’s new dungeon. Ako was planning to have them join a raid in a few hours, but she wouldn’t be on until then.

 **Kaoru:** Kitten, how does 2:00PM on Sunday sound? We can, of course, partake in a lovely dinner afterwards.

Rinko could feel the implied wink reach out of her computer screen and smack her right in her soul. She adjusted her headset.

 **RinRin:** That sounds good to me. (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b Do I need to prepare anything before we meet?

The “...” icon popped up for a while before Kaoru sent a new message.

 **Kaoru:** I hope it is not too much to ask, but if you could take a look at the play’s script and provide feedback regarding the lore I would be greatly indebted to you. I fear that it may be too esoteric for even me to grasp properly.

Rinko sent her an ‘ _OK!_ ’ sticker and promptly received a large file. Downloading the document, she skimmed through it.

 **RinRin:** The script looks quite straightforward. I wouldn’t say that it’s an exact adaptation of any of the franchise’s installments, but more like a mix of some of the routes and bosses. Even though there’s a lot of monsters appearing throughout, most of the play seems to be like an extended soliloquy (￣ヘ￣)┌

It certainly wasn’t Shakespeare. Rinko wasn’t sure how to feel about this. She typed out that first sentence before thinking better of it. Deleting her words, Rinko started over.

 **RinRin:** This is a little different from what you normally perform, isn’t it? Even the one that Yukina-san and I helped you with… ' _El Pequeño Principe'_.

 **Kaoru:** You have a keen eye, Rinko. But yes, you are indeed correct. Truthfully?

 **Kaoru:** This adaptation was a request from a certain sweet little kitten of mine. She is quite fond of the horror genre, you see, and once the drama club became aware of her earnest request, they too voiced their support for this new project. Who am I to refuse their wishes?

Okay, Rinko definitely knew what she was feeling: a strange mix of amusement and sympathy. Poor Kaoru. But now she wasn’t sure what to respond with.

 **RinRin:** The romance is still a large aspect in this screenplay, though. Its importance is stronger here than in the games themselves, but that’s not a bad thing. I think that it suits Seta-san more, in a way. (- ω -、)ヾ(￣ω￣; )

 **Kaoru:** Thank you, kitten. I was thinking the same thing myself.

 **Kaoru:** The heroine’s loneliness, surrounded by mindless creatures who only view her as a source of sustenance… Her longing to meet her beloved once again, to cradle that delicate face within her palms bloodied by regret and desperation…

 **Kaoru:** No, it is indeed old ground. But the way it is expressed… isn’t it just fleeting?

 **RinRin:** I think that it is.

 **Kaoru:** I only hope that with your help, I can properly convey all those feelings within this new context.

Rinko felt warm as she continued to explain the events of the first few games to Kaoru. It was always fun to talk to friends (in the plural!) over the internet, especially since it meant not having to actually use her mouth to form actual words in real life and then speak them out loud.

 

* * *

 

“Seta-san…” Rinko played with the zipper of her purse. “We can use my point card for today, if you want…”

“Never fear, kitten, for I have one of my own!” Kaoru winked as she smoothly pulled a red card out of—huh? Where was she keeping that? Inside her blouse? “Shall we... _dance_?” Kaoru waved one arm at the entrance to the mall’s arcade in one grand sweep, offering her other arm to Rinko.

Rinko stared at Kaoru in bemusement, her mind working on overtime. Was she supposed to accept by grabbing her hand? Like, an actual dance? That… was asking _way_ too much of her! Oh, she should probably respond soon. Uh oh, had it been too long to react? It had! Wow, this was becoming awkward.

What felt like whole entire minutes to Rinko was thankfully only a second in real life, and Kaoru smoothly swept her arm back towards her back, bowing gallantly like she meant to do so in the first place. Wow. How does somebody like this even exist? At least Kaoru didn’t seem offended?

“... I’m not sure… about  _dancing,_ but... hopefully, we can have fun?” Rinko ventured.

Kaoru nodded. “Of course!”

They walked inside. It was funny how Kaoru led the way even though Rinko was pretty sure that Kaoru had spent even less time inside the arcade than Rinko did. If she had to guess, it was probably only once, in order to buy that point card. Especially since they were going the wrong way. The arcade was pretty big, after all…

“Seta-san…” Kaoru didn’t seem to hear Rinko as she continued to walk. Oh boy. This was going to be a problem. “S-Seta-san…!” There was no way Rinko could speak loudly enough for other people to hear if they weren’t already paying attention to her. This was why she only went to these places with Ako!

Rinko hesitated before she reached up to tap Kaoru’s shoulder. Kaoru stopped moving and turned around quickly with a smile on her face. “What is it, kitten?”

“The, um… the ' _H*use of the De*d'_ game is... in a different section...”

“Ah… So it is. I apologize, Rinko! Well then. Shall we?” Kaoru offered an arm to Rinko again. Oh! So that was why…

Rinko smiled shyly as she placed her hand in the crook of Kaoru’s elbow, subtly nudging her in the opposite direction. “It’s… over here. I can give you tips before we start...”

 

* * *

 

“Fufu…” Kaoru struck a grandiose pose, swinging around the plastic gun model. Her bullets sprayed wildly off-screen. She looked quite dashing, with a hand hiding her eyes from sight like a mysterious brigand. “A game such as this… It is what it is.”

“Seta-san, please try to aim the gun at the screen... You will run out of health points and die soon, if you don’t.” A loud, violent sound blared from the game’s cabinet, signaling Kaoru’s fate.

“ _AHH!_ A-aha, Rinko... of course! You are my Cassandra in this fleeting apocalypse.”

Rinko ignored her as she concentrated at the screen, her finger continuing to hold down the trigger.

 

* * *

 

“Zombies… Zombies are indeed fleeting, are they not? Much like the life that they held within them, when they were still alive… Ah, zombies… The curse of reanimation, too, is fleeting…”

“Not all of them… are zombies,” Rinko tried to comfort Kaoru. They were sitting in the mall’s food court. It was a good thing that the giant chainsaw-wielding boss wasn’t included in this particular installment. “The further you progress in the game, you will also meet other things, like spiders... and snakes…”

The calm smile on Kaoru’s face never wavered, but she paled at an alarming rate.

“U-um, so… what exactly do you need… for you to… properly be in character?”

“I had thought that playing was enough to bring me into this role. However, this… this is proving to be quite the challenge, indeed. I’m afraid I still have trouble reconciling the protagonist of the script with the protagonist of this game,” Kaoru muttered into her soup.

Rinko didn’t _quite_ catch that last part. “I think… the script really might be… _too_ different compared to the source material… than we thought. People don’t play light gun shooters… for the plot...” She paused. “... Or character development.”

Kaoru set down her empty bowl. She definitely looked troubled now.

“But, um, surely… the struggles faced by the play’s hero… is similar to… what you felt while playing the game, right?” Rinko ventured. “The stress… and the fear, after all…”

“I… perhaps you speak the truth, Rinko,” Kaoru said slowly. “The shock and emotional trauma manufactured by this game may be within my grasp after all… But the ending of the play, you see, showcases the hero’s triumph at overcoming her demons, both inner and outer. And at this very moment, I am unsure if I can share in that triumph, myself.”

“T-that…” Rinko felt a little bad for Kaoru. It was hard being out of one’s comfort zone.

And then a scary idea came to her.

“U-um, Seta-san, so the protagonist of the script… her main motivation is to… meet her lover again... right? I was, u-umm, thinking…”

Kaoru blinked twice before she raised a finely-plucked eyebrow. “... Oho? Why, kitten, are you suggesting what I think yo—”

“N-no!!!” Rinko blurted, “I mean, well... it’s just… do you remember when… during the last play, you offered to d-dance with me...”

“Of course. How could I forget?” Kaoru slowly seemed to regain her confidence with every word. “A prince never takes back an offer made to a princess…”

“I think,” Rinko hazarded, “that going through the motions… is still really important. We can… work hard on successfully… completing the game, so at the end…”

“Yes… Truly, the tumultuous journey is but fleeting. And so our hard-earned triumph will be heralded with a beautiful dance of victory!” Kaoru smiled brightly at Rinko, having made a full comeback. “Fufu… It seems I was not speaking hot air when I said that we would get along very well.”

Rinko shyly smiled back. Being able to give Kaoru confidence with just a few words made Rinko feel unexpectedly good. She would just have to be embarrassed over what this all meant later, which would probably be when she was safely at home and alone. “Um, but… I’ve never danced before… so…”

“Oh, that will not be of any concern to either of us! Just as you are my mentor, I shall be yours. I suspect that your artistic form shall quickly become as beautiful as your visage.” Kaoru winked and stood up. “In any case, we should probably foray back into the madness that is—”

Rinko shook her head and Kaoru sat back down.

“I think it’s… important to not… take too many steps than you’re ready for,” she said. “Seta-san… is already understanding the hero, by doing all this… So I think… Today is… Maybe we can continue playing… at a later date?”

Kaoru’s expression didn’t really change, but Rinko liked to think that she saw a little bit of relief in her shoulders. “As expected of my wizened princess! To learn without reflection is but a waste of time, and to reflect without learning is dangerous. And what better tools to help us reflect than warm drink? It shall be my treat.” She made to stand up again.

Rinko hesitated before she lightly placed a hand over Kaoru’s. “No, I… Seta-san bought me hot milk last time, so... this time, I’ll treat Seta-san when we, um… ' _partake in dinner_.'”

Kaoru rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I see! ‘Tis but nature for a princess to be as generous as her prince… Very well! I accept.” Her smile was dangerously contagious as she squeezed Rinko’s hand.

 

* * *

 

As it turned out, once Kaoru took Rinko’s advice to both look at _and_ point her gun towards the screen while playing, they actually started to make decent progress.

Rinko was becoming rather fond of Kaoru's grin, especially the one she wore proudly as they began another fresh attempt at eliminating the final boss. As the boss’ health bar depleted, Kaoru grew more and more excited.

“This shall be the final nail in your long-awaited coffin, you vexing fiend!” Kaoru exclaimed. Rinko stifled her laughter as she let Kaoru have the honor of lobbing the final, game-winning grenade at the severely pixelated abomination.

The screen flashed bright white and yellow, and uplifting organ music began to trill from the game cabinet. Kaoru struck a pose, somehow managing to twirl her light gun a few times before returning it to its holster. Rinko giggled softly as she put back her gun as well.

“Shall we celebrate our victory with a feast befitting of kings?” Kaoru asked as they exited the arcade, her chest still puffing with pride.

Rinko blinked, her eyes adjusting to the bright LED lights of the mall. “Okay... I don’t mind going to the buffet again.” She wasn’t sure if she could eat enough food to justify the entrance fee, if her prior experiences had taught her anything, but Rinko was actually looking forward to hearing Kaoru’s boasting. Somehow, it had become quite endearing.

And if Rinko was completely honest with herself, she was also looking forward to hearing Kaoru complimenting her as well. Just a little bit.

“You’ll be coming to the performance, of course?”

“... Yes,” Rinko nodded. “I’m… looking forward to it. I’m sure that now... it will be quite... fleeting, won’t it?”

“With the excellent assistance you have provided me, I’m certain it will! And,” Kaoru’s voice softened as she looked over at Rinko again, “after the final curtain has fallen, I truly do wish to repay your kindness back tenfold. That is... if you would deign me worthy enough to accompany you again.”

Their pace slowed as Rinko flushed and looked at the ground. “... I would like to. If Seta-san trusted me enough… to learn from me, then… I can trust Seta-san too.” She looked back up. The way that Kaoru’s smile creased her eyes made Rinko’s heart beat faster.

“You shall not regret it, Rinko. As the great bard once said, ‘love all, trust a few…’”

 _And do harm to none_ , Rinko finished in her head. Well... it wasn’t exactly fitting, but Kaoru made it work. And if she could, there wasn’t any reason as to why Rinko couldn’t, as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I actually wrote a sequel to this that nobody asked for, which I'll be uploading in a few days... So stay tuned for that!


End file.
